Delilah took plates down and placed them on the table along with utensils and napkins. She served up the food piping hot. She’d made the salad in a huge wooden bowl. As they sat across from each other at the table, Delilah couldn’t help but think of their childhood and all of those nights when they would make dinner for themselves when their parents were working late. Those moments had forged an unbreakable bond between the two sisters. Nothing or no one could ever separate them.
The sisters ate with gusto, devouring the meal as if they hadn’t eaten in days. It was nice, Delilah thought, to share this moment with Sarah. Being a new mother and a new wife meant that Sarah’s time was limited. Being here with Sarah was allowing her to enjoy sister time.
“So, I’m dying of curiosity,” Sarah said in a breathless voice. “Do you think you and Mac have a shot at something lasting? Or is this just killing time?”
Delilah stopped eating mid-bite. Her stomach clenched up. Killing time? Ugh. She hated the sound of that. It sounded so casual and unimportant. Her feelings for Mac were neither of those things. But, at the moment, she really had no idea how Mac felt about their relationship. Sarah’s revelation about Blue not knowing about their dating status bugged her more than she could even put into words. It was a red flag for her, one that she needed to heed before she got hurt.
“He’s a great person, Sarah,” Delilah said. “But things are very new between us, and to be honest, I’m not sure I want to throw my heart in the ring again. Been there, done that.”
Sarah narrowed her gaze as she gave her sister the once-over. “Mmm hmm. Sounds like you’re gun shy, which is understandable, but not very fair to Mac.” She tapped her finger on her chin. “Just remember that you have to be in it to win it.”
Delilah rolled her eyes. “Oh brother. You sound like Mom.” She took a bite of her meal then giggled. They had always promised never to spout Mom-isms. Or wear Mom jeans.
“Mom always did have pearls of wisdom,” Sarah said, wiping her mouth with her napkin, then taking a long sip of her lemonade. “Even if we didn’t fully appreciate it when we were kids.”
“Yes. We’ve been very fortunate.”
“Lilah, you do realize that your past relationships shouldn’t carry over to your present. You had a string of bad luck. You dated the wrong men. You’re older now. Wiser. If Blue and I had stayed stuck in the past we would never have reunited or gotten married.”
“True,” Delilah acknowledged with a nod. “Sometimes I just want to fast forward my life so that I’m settled. Don’t get me wrong. I’m having fun with Mac and I love being courted by him, but, if I’m being honest, I just want to know that someone is going to love me for a lifetime.” She let out a sigh. “I hope that doesn’t sound pathetic.”
Sarah reached out and patted her sister’s hand across the table. “You could never sound pathetic. I think part of it is seeing everyone around you settling down. That’s hard. You’ve always been such a romantic, sis. Don’t lose that part of yourself. Not ever.”
“Mac has been very romantic,” she admitted, her face flushing at the memory of their kiss last night. “And he’s so different from any man I’ve ever known. He’s tender. And deep. Soulful.”
Sarah’s eyes widened. She leaned forward across the table. “Lilah. You sound smitten. Are you falling in love with Mac?”
Sarah’s words felt like a jolt to her system. So far she’d been enjoying her time with Mac but she hadn’t spent too much time analyzing her feelings. Falling in love with Mac? They hadn’t been dating for very long, but she felt as if she had known him for most of her life.
Delilah had tried her hardest over the past few years not to fall in love with anyone. Her love had never been fully returned or appreciated by any of her exes. What she’d willingly given—her heart and soul—had been used and abused and scorned. After her disastrous relationship with Tim she had been down on her knees, begging God for guidance and deliverance. He had answered her prayer and showed her that there needed to be more important things in her life than the pursuit of a romantic relationship. She needed to build herself up so she could accept real, enduring love. She had learned that love would come in time. God’s timing was never off.
So she had waited. And waited. Until Mac came crashing into her life—the very last knight in shining armor she had expected to fall for.
Oh no! She was falling in love with Mac. Strong, principled Mac. He was a gentle giant. A wounded soul who had created a solid life for himself against a backdrop of unimaginable horrors and immense loss. His bravery and courage inspired her and left her in awe of him. His talent at woodworking made her feel proud of all his vast accomplishments.
“Is that a yes?” Sarah asked.
Delilah couldn’t speak past the lump in her throat. She nodded. Tears misted in her eyes.
Sarah jumped up from her seat and came around to her side. She wrapped her up in a tight hug. “It’s all right. That’s what we were put on this earth to do. To love and be loved. There’s no shame in having feelings for Mac. He’s wonderful.”
Delilah began to sob and laugh at the same time. She threw her hands up in the air. “Look at me. I’m a mess. It’s just a little overwhelming to realize that my heart is invested. I’ve been trying so hard not to fall too hard, too quickly. That seems to be my downfall.”
“Shh. This is going to be different. I can feel it. Mac won’t let you down. He won’t betray you or break your heart or disrespect you. He’s the real deal.”
“I hope so, Sarah. I just wonder why he didn’t tell Blue about us. That has to mean something,” she fretted. The Donahue brothers were a tight-knit group. It troubled her that Mac hadn’t conveyed anything to his brother about their blossoming relationship.
“Stop looking for trouble,” Sarah warned. “Because before you know it, you’re going to find some.”
Delilah groaned. “Another Mom-ism! You’re on a roll today,” she said with a laugh.
Sarah threw her hands up in the air. “Who would have thought it? I get married, have a kid…and now I’m spouting Mom-isms.”
Delilah looked at the dubious expression on her sister’s face and burst out laughing. Sarah joined in and before they knew it they were both cackling like a bunch of hens. They laughed so hard they had to clutch their stomachs.
Sarah wiped away tears of mirth from her eyes. “Oh Lilah. There’s no one else who can make me laugh the way you do.”
“Right back at you sis,” Delilah said as she clutched her sister in an emotional hug that spoke of their deep friendship, love and sisterhood.
Sarah was right. Despite her fears she was going to believe in what she was building with Mac Donahue. Fear and doubts were the enemy. More than anything she wanted to live in love. Hopefully with Mac right by her side.
**
For the next few weeks Mac’s life continued to sail along with calm waters and blue skies. His relationship with Delilah continued to soar as his feelings for her intensified and solidified. The only thing hanging over his head was Parker’s investigation into his sister’s whereabouts. There had been a few phone calls between himself and Parker, who seemed to be pulling out all the stops to track down any leads. Sadly, none had been forthcoming. Mac had reached a point where in order to maintain his sanity he had to come to terms with the grim reality that Callie might be lost to him forever. It was a point he had never wanted to reach, but in his heart, soul and mind he knew that he had to at least face that possibility. He yearned to move forward with his life—to forge something lasting and real with Delilah—and he couldn’t do that by holding on to the past.
The best way to focus on the present was to enjoy a beautiful day at the beach with Delilah and his family. It had been ages since they all hung out at Breezy Beach and enjoyed fun in the sand and surf. Delilah, looking stunning in a one-piece white suit, tossed a Frisbee with him away from the crowd, then walked along the stretch of beach with him and collected sea shells. Mac adored her exuberance.
Each time she found a pretty shell she let out a squeal of delight. He ended up with both of his hands full of seashells as they headed back to their towels.
Being with Delilah at the beach with his family present was a debut of sorts for their relationship. He couldn’t hide it any longer from his family that they were a couple. Nor did he want to. If every single last Donahue wanted to be in his romantic business, he would bear happily bear the scrutiny. Delilah had looked relieved when he had told her earlier about how he’d sworn his brothers to secrecy several weeks ago about their relationship.
“So, it was because you didn’t want your family in our business?” she’d asked with a look of worry emanating from her eyes.
“Pretty much,” he’d said. “Do you think I wanted my sisters-in-law to pester me with questions? I figured you told Sarah, but I really wanted us to figure things out before we received the Donahue family interrogation.”
Delilah had laughed. “That bad, huh?” She covered her mouth with her hand and giggled.
“You don’t know the half of it,” he had said with a shake of his head.
By the time they made their way back to their towels, half of the family was swimming out in the ocean.
“Hey. Your phone was ringing like crazy,” AJ said. “I wanted to answer it for you, but Mom said no way.” AJ made a face. Mac reached out and tweaked his nose.
“Mom was right,” he said, picking up his nephew and hoisting him on his shoulder. He spun him around a few times, much to AJ’s delight. When he put him back down on the sand, AJ cried out, “Again! Again!”
“No!” Maggie cried out in a sharp voice. “He’ll get dizzy and throw up. He always gets nauseous when he gets spun around too much.”
“That’s Brandon. He used to get sick when we were little. This is AJ,” Mac explained.
“I’m AJ, Grandma. Don’t you remember?” AJ asked. He looked frustrated and sad. At his tender age he had no real understanding of dementia, even though Rose and Brandon had explained it to him on several occasions.
Maggie’s face held a confused expression. “I-I don’t know,” she said. She looked around her. “Where’s Alec? Alec!” she cried out. There was a desperation in her voice that made him wince. He knew there was nothing he could do to stop her outburst. So far, his father was the only one who had consistent results with calming her down.
Alec quickly moved toward her, his gentle voice instantly soothing her. Mac let out a frustrated huff of air. This illness was baffling to the extreme. Everything had been fine all afternoon with his mother. Then, like a random summer storm, she’d gotten confused, then irritable. Sundowning is what the experts called it. Generally it happened later in the day as the sun went down, but oftentimes with his mother he had noticed it happening in the late afternoon.
Mac pulled AJ into the crook of his arm. “Don’t be sad, AJ. Grandma is just sick. Her memories aren’t always reliable.”
“Dad says it’s our job to remind her,” AJ said in a soft voice. “To jog her memory.”
“That’s absolutely right,” Mac said. “We’re her memory keepers.”
AJ let loose a stunning smile. “Memory keepers. I like the sound of that.”
Brandon beckoned him from the water. “My Dad wants me to come in. I’ll be back,” AJ shouted before he raced down to the water to join his parents and a few of his aunts and uncles.
“I love that kid,” Mac said to Delilah as he reached down and picked up his phone from inside his boat shoe.
“Who’s been burning up your phone trying to reach you?” Delilah asked from behind him.
A quick glance at his phone revealed seven missed calls from Parker. Seven! It wasn’t like his cousin to blow up his phone. Mac turned around and faced Delilah. She was now standing next to Layla and they were cooing over baby Faith, who was covered up in a baby tent with a big floppy hat protecting her skin from the sun’s rays.
Mac frowned at his cell phone. “It was Parker. He called me seven times in a row.”
Delilah walked over to him without skipping a beat. “Call him back. What are you waiting for?” she asked, a hint of impatience in her voice. “This could be important.”
Her impatience made him want to laugh. She was almost as invested in this quest as he was.
Without waiting a second longer, he redialed Parker’s number. Parker picked up on the first ring. “Mac. I’ve been trying to reach you,” Parker said, his voice filled with urgency.
“Sorry. We’re at the beach. I wasn’t by my phone. What’s up?”
“I think I’ve found her Mac. I think I found Callie.”
**
Delilah watched Mac’s face as he spoke to Parker on the phone. His eyes widened with shock as his face lost most of its color. She stood close to him, not wanting to eavesdrop but needing to make sure that he was all right. What in the world was Parker telling him?
Dear Lord. Please protect Mac and Callie. Let this be good news for the both of them. Let their story have a happy ending. Let love win.
She heard snatches of Mac’s conversation. When? How? I can’t believe it. Are you sure?
It was terrible hearing a one-sided conversation. Parker could really be telling Mac anything, she surmised. There was no way in the world she should jump to any conclusions about their discussion.
By the time he hung up with Parker, Delilah was ready to burst with questions. She kept it cool though, wanting Mac to be able to digest whatever news Parker had just delivered without her throwing inquiries at him.
He shook his head, appearing dumbfounded. A lopsided smile graced his face. “Parker thinks he’s found Callie.”
Delilah let out a squeak of surprise. Although she’d hoped Parker was delivering good news, she hadn’t been certain of it. There was always the possibility that he had found out something tragic about Mac’s sister.
“Oh Mac. I’m so happy for you. What did he say?” Delilah asked.
Mac pulled her away from the group. His family was oblivious to what was happening. She was certain he would fill them in later. But for now, he clearly wanted a private moment with her.
“Parker said that his team got lucky with the age progressed photo. An internet search brought up dozens of matches which he went through painstakingly. One fit the profile. He did a full investigation and found a twenty-six year old woman named Callie Duvall living in Savannah, Georgia. Based on what he discovered, Callie was adopted by a very prominent Savannah family as a five year old. It all fits, Delilah.”
Delilah threw herself into Mac’s arms. “Oh, Mac. I can’t believe it. How wonderful.”
“I think I’m still in shock,” he said in a stilted voice. “All these years I’ve been dreaming of this moment and now…I barely now how to feel or what to do next.”
She pulled away from Mac and looked deeply into his eyes. “There’s only one thing to do next, Mac. You need to fly to Savannah and find her. You need to go to Callie and claim her as your sister.”
Mac looked at her with an intensity she couldn’t ignore. “Will you come with me to Savannah, Delilah? Will you be by my side as I reintroduce myself to my sister?”
Delilah felt so honored by Mac’s request she could barely respond. Mac looked at her expectantly. There was so much hope in his eyes.
“Yes, Mac. I’ll come with you to Savannah. There’s no place I’d rather be.”
Mac blew out a breath that sounded a lot like relief, then reached out to pull her close. He placed a tender kiss on her forehead while repeating his thanks over and over again to her . If Delilah hadn’t already been in love with him, this simple act of gratitude would have pushed her straight over the edge. At this very moment she knew he would always be everything she needed to keep her world spinning on its axis.
Wherever this journey took Mac, she planned to be right by his side. Everything in her life experience had brought her to this moment, one where she could aid the man she loved with unconditional love and support. And she planned to
do just that, even if she wound up wearing her heart on her sleeve in the process.
“Family. I love that word. I love what I found with the Donahue family. Not only did I find the man of my dreams in Remy, but I found a wonderful family that loves me just as I am.”
Gabrielle Donahue
Chapter Nine
Savannah, Georgia. It was a blazing hot summer day in the historic city. Mac and Delilah had flown in from the Barnstable Municipal Airport this morning and landed mid-day at Savannah-Hilton Head International Airport. The temperature clocked in at a humid ninety degrees.
They hadn’t even checked in at their hotel—the Belle Reve—a beautiful inn by the riverfront. Mac was too full of anticipation to waste a single moment. So, with their luggage in the rental car, they headed to the address that Parker had provided them. 122 Magnolia Drive. Right in the middle of the historic homes district.
According to the file provided to them by Parker, Callie Duvall was an heiress of sorts in Savannah. She was the daughter of Lionel and Davinia Duvall. Lionel was one of the heirs to the Duvall Electronics Corporation. As such he held the key to the city of Savannah, as well as many prestigious clubs and organizations in the area. If Callie was his sister, Mac reckoned, she had been reared with a silver spoon in her mouth.
He almost laughed out loud at the thought of it. His Callie had been down to earth and humble. As kids they had never had a single luxury. She had never been spoiled. He prayed that hadn’t changed any in all these years.
Mac drove past a host of Victorian houses on tree lined streets in an area where historic homes were located. The creative part of his brain appreciated all the beautiful homes they drove past—some he imagined had been renovated and restored—while the main part of his mind was focused on seeing Callie. He imagined she might be stunned and frightened by his sudden appearance in her life. He bit his lip, wondering if she might tell him to leave. Who knew what she’d been told about him over the years? Or if she even remembered him. Did she think he had abandoned her? He grinded his teeth as all the possibilities swarmed over him.
When A Man Loves A Woman (Seven Brides Seven Brothers Book 7) Page 13